


The Hero's Soul

by robindrake93



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Closure, Gen, Goodbyes, Post-War, Short One Shot, Spirits, psychopomp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:06:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24153283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robindrake93/pseuds/robindrake93
Summary: During the post-war celebrations, Hermes asks Percy for a favor and together they escort Luke's spirit to the Underworld.
Comments: 26
Kudos: 139





	The Hero's Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Do not reupload my fan fiction anywhere. It is not for reupload.

Hermes tapped me on the shoulder to get my attention and said, “Percy, may I steal you away from the festivities for a moment?”

I dreaded what Hermes wanted with me but there was no way to get out of it. When Gods wanted something, demigods had no choice but to go along. “Yeah, sure,” I said. I turned to Annabeth. “I guess I’ll be right back.”

“What do you want with him?” Annabeth demanded, hands on her hips. She looked mad that Hermes was stealing me away from her. 

Hermes’ expression shifted from sorrow to annoyance. His eyes weren’t made of fire like some of the other Gods, but they still seemed to light with barely suppressed rage. “That is a matter between Percy and myself, girl.” 

I stepped between them before they could start fighting for real. “Look, I’m sure that it’s important if Hermes needs to do it during our _‘just saved the world’_ party. We’ll be back before the partys over, Annabeth.” 

Annabeth didn’t look satisfied.

Hermes seemed distracted. “We must go,” he said. I’d never seen him so distraught before. But he did just lose his son. 

I slid my arm in Hermes’ and pulled him away from Annabeth. When we were out of earshot, I asked, “It _is_ important, right?” 

Hermes nodded unhappily. His shoulders drooped as though he were suddenly carrying the weight of the sky on them. He looked like he was about to cry right there in the middle of the street. “I will return you before the celebrations are over,” Hermes promised. 

“Sounds good,” I said. My arm was still looped through his but I was sort of afraid to take it back since Hermes didn’t say anything about it. “I take it we aren’t just going for an evening stroll?”

Hermes sighed and he sounded more tired than anyone I’d ever heard. “No, Percy, we aren’t.” We continued walking, seemingly without destination. “I am not just a messenger, Percy. I am also a psychopomp.” 

“Um, that’s cool,” I said. I had no idea what that was but it had the word psycho in it, which I didn’t particularly like. Hermes didn’t seem very psycho to me but Gods were weird. Maybe he was just good at hiding it. 

Hermes met my eye and gave me a small, amused smile. “A psychopomp is a deity that guides the souls of the dead to the afterlife,” Hermes explained. 

A chill went down my spine. “Um, who’s soul are you guiding?” 

Hermes stopped walking. He bowed his head. “My son’s.” A tear rolled off the tip of his nose. 

I wish I had a tissue to offer him or something. I’d never seen a God cry before and I really, really didn’t like it. 

“He died thinking I don’t love him,” Hermes said and let out a sob. 

I patted Hermes' arm with my free hand. “Luke knew. In the end, he knew.” I had no proof of that but I hoped that if Luke’s spirit could talk, he would corroborate what I’d said. “But, um, what do you need me for?” 

Hermes wiped his eyes with his free hand. “I'm hoping that your presence will make this easier on both of us.”

Oh man. How did I tell him that I’m the one who gave Luke the dagger he used to kill himself? “I, um, I don’t think Luke will be too happy to see me,” I said cautiously. Even as I said it, I could feel a phantom burn where his hot, hot hand had grabbed me. 

Hermes looked at me. “Perhaps not as you are, and in any case you can’t come with while you’re like this.” He gestured to me and took his arm back. “I’ll have to make some modifications.”

Before I could ask what kind of modifications, Hermes suddenly grew. No, wait, I was getting shorter. I dropped onto my hands and feet as my body shrank and warped. It was a painless transformation. When it was over, I had a new limb. I could feel it moving. I turned my head to look behind me and saw my back was covered in black fur...and at the end there was a tail. My tail was curled to the side. I looked down and saw paws instead of hands. _“I’m a dog?!”_

“Yes. A Cretan Hound, to be precise, though the breed doesn’t normally come in black,” Hermes explained. He waved a hand and a mirror appeared. 

I looked into the mirror and a dog stared back at me. The dog was long-legged and slender, with big pointed ears and a narrow face. My fur was solid black and my eyes were the same sea glass green as when I was human. My Camp Half-Blood beads had been transformed in a leather collar, studded with jewels. Each jewel the color of the corresponding bead. _“Why do I have to be a dog?”_

“You’re a dog because you wouldn’t be able to come otherwise.” Hermes' eyes glistened with mischief and for a moment all that sadness was gone. “And I think that Luke would like to have a puppy to accompany him on his journey to the Underworld.” Hermes gestured for me to follow him. 

I did, a little unsure of what to do with four feet but this wasn’t the first time I’d been transformed into an animal. I got the hang of walking pretty quickly and found that my gait was fast and easy. I walked a lot more smoothly as a dog than I ever did as a human. _“Won’t he know it’s me?”_

“Are you going to tell him?” Hermes asked, raising an eyebrow.

_“Will he be able to hear me like you do?”_

“No.”

_“Then I guess I’m not going to tell him,”_ I said. My tail naturally wanted to wag, my tongue wanted to hang out of my open mouth. I didn’t try too hard to resist either of these things. 

We stopped outside a beautiful dwelling decorated with things from every culture. It was drastically different from the rest of them. Hermes turned to me. “I understand that you and my son have had a rocky past. However, I ask that you let bygones be bygones and keep your teeth to yourself. Please be kind to him. Luke has been hurting for...far too long.”

I looked up at Hermes face and saw the pain there. This wasn’t going to be easy for either of them. I couldn’t imagine having to take my child to the Underworld. _“I’ll keep my teeth to myself unless he bites me first.”_

“I suppose that’s the best I’ll get,” Hermes said with a sigh. He faced the front door, took a deep breath, and then opened it. 

I followed Hermes into the dwelling. There were a lot of interesting smells here but the one that overpowered everything was the smell of burnt flesh. I recognized Luke’s scent beneath it. I would know it anywhere. 

Hermes led me through hallways crowded with relics to a room that was empty aside from a marble altar. Laying upon the altar was Luke’s body, still covered in the green and white burial shroud. Looking at it closer, the white fabric was metallic and shimmering, while the green was a deep emerald color. 

I whined.

Hermes patted me on the head. 

That felt nice but I still didn’t want to see Luke’s body again. I wanted to forget about all of this, to move on to something better. Why hadn’t they burned the body yet?

The air around Hermes shimmered and suddenly he was wearing dark blue robes. A petasos appeared on his head, the wings as deep blue as the robe. They stretched and moved like they had a mind of their own. Hermes’ caduceus appeared in one hand, full-sized.

George and Martha twisted around its length, moving in endless circles around each other. 

_Poor Luke,_ George said mournfully. _He was still so young! Twenty-three is such a short life._

_And he hurt for so much of it. Our favorite child,_ Martha said sadly. 

_Can’t we keep him, Hermes?_ George asked. 

_You know we can’t,_ Martha said but it sounded like she wanted to as well. 

Another tear trickled down Hermes’ cheek and into the fabric of the burial shroud. “I’m afraid we cannot keep him. It’s our job to escort him to the Underworld.”

_“He said he wants to try for rebirth,”_ I remembered suddenly. Listening to them mourning here while still able to hear the distant sounds of the party was a truly somber experience. It seemed as though we were the only ones in the world who cared that Luke was dead and everyone else was ready to move on. Even I had been ready to move on before this. 

Hermes placed his hand on Luke’s forehead. “Luke has always aimed so high.” This was said with pride in his voice. Then Hermes glanced down at me. “What about you, Percy?”

I sat back on my haunches, nervous to be asked. _“I want rebirth too. I want to reach the Isles of the Blest.”_

Hermes gave me a thoughtful look. Then he turned back to Luke. He plunged his hand into Luke’s chest and I heard a ripping noise like fabric being torn. 

Then Luke stood between us, eyes closed and dazed. Unlike with the spirits in the Underworld, I could see Luke clearly. Though he was transparent. And naked. 

_“Give him something to wear!”_ I told Hermes. 

Hermes glanced at me, then made a motion like he was taking his robe off his shoulders. A transparent duplicate of his dark blue robes appeared in his hands. He wrapped it around Luke’s shoulders. 

Luke opened his eyes. “Of course it’s you,” he said, sounding mildly annoyed. I don’t think he heard any of the conversation had before Hermes pulled Luke’s soul from his body. “What’s with the dog?”

“He’ll be joining us,” Hermes said. He had yet to take his eyes off Luke and I got the feeling that he was savoring this last look at his son. “Shall we be off?”

“It’s not like I’ve got a choice,” Luke said with a glance at his body. Still, Luke hesitated when Hermes turned away. 

I walked over and head butted him. My head only came up to about Luke’s thigh but he got the message.

Luke reached down and stroked my ears. “Alright, alright,” he muttered. He followed Hermes back through the dwelling and onto the streets of Olympus. Wings sprouted on his ankles and Luke made a face when he saw them. 

Wings sprouted on my ankles too, all four of them. My paws weren’t touching the ground anymore but I wouldn’t call what I was doing _flying._ I was still just walking. 

Luke seemed more comfortable walking next to me than next to his father. He kept one hand at his side so that he could brush his fingers in my fur. 

We walked until we came to the edge of Olympus. No one was on these streets, all too busy with the epic party going on behind us. Hermes led us off the edge of solid ground and into the sky. 

Luke and I followed without hesitation. Normally, I’d be nervous about heights but I was in Hermes’ care and I didn’t think he’d let Zeus blast me out of the sky. 

After a few miles of walking, Luke asked, “Is Annabeth okay?”

Hermes glanced back at us. His shoulders had stiffened and I could smell the annoyance on him. It smelled like dried chili peppers. “The girl? She’s fine.”

It was said tersely but Luke let out a relieved sigh. “And Thalia?” 

Hermes relaxed a little at the mention of her. “Artemis saw to it that she’s already recovered from her injuries.”

Luke relaxed a little more. Some of the worry lines in his face vanished. After everything, he still cared about them. I didn’t get how he could hurt them and still ask about their health. “What about…” Luke paused, hesitated. “Is Jackson still alive?”

Hermes finally smiled. “Oh yes, Percy is very much alive. I’d say he’s doing quite well.” 

Luke seemed relieved by this news too. “And did...did he…” 

“Call us Gods out on our shit?” Hermes asked, still amused. He gave me a dry smile.

_“I did not say it like that,”_ I protested. 

Hermes wasn’t fooled. “Yes. He honored your dying wish. Traded immortality for it.”

Luke’s fingers were in my ruff now, digging nicely into the back of my neck. “Is it going to help?”

“For a while,” Hermes’ voice was heavy. “We’ll do our best but Gods have never been good at changing. After all, both Percy and Thalia were born from a broken vow.”

We walked to Connecticut in what felt like only twenty minutes. I only recognized it because of the signs. _“Where are we going?”_ I asked. 

Martha was the one who answered me, _Hermes wants to take Luke to say goodbye to May._

I thought of the last time I saw May Castellan and my fur bristled at the thought of bringing Luke to her. 

“What’s wrong with your dog?” Luke asked. He didn’t sound scared, only curious. I guess there wasn’t much left that could be done to him while he was dead. Spirits couldn’t be hurt before being judged. 

Hermes frowned at me. 

_“My dad said that Luke is your pride and joy. You need to tell Luke that, Hermes. Tell him you love him. Before you take him to his mother’s house.”_ I couldn’t say why it mattered so much that it be done before they visit May, but I wouldn’t let Hermes take Luke there until he’d said what needed to be said. 

“He's inexperienced. This is his first time acting as a psychopomp,” Hermes explained. 

_“It had better be the last time,”_ I grumbled. 

Thankfully, Hermes chose to ignore that. Instead, he put his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “I know that death hasn’t softened your anger towards me, but please let me speak. This is the last time that I’ll get to speak with you as my son, as Luke Castellan.” 

Luke hesitated. I could tell that he wanted to say no, that he wanted to hang onto the anger that had ultimately killed him. 

I licked Luke’s hand and whined. 

Luke’s hand found my ears and he seemed to take comfort in my presence. Just like Hermes had wanted. “Fine. I’ll listen.” 

“I won’t try to excuse my inactions. I see now that distancing myself from you helped guide you down a difficult and unforgiving path. As the mortals say, hindsight is 20/20.” Hermes tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. He continued, “I am so proud of you, Luke. For everything that you’ve done, both the good and the bad. You are so clever, so resourceful. Your determination and dedication are things to be admired. And your strength. My son, there has never been one as strong as you, either God or mortal.” 

A tear rolled off of Luke’s cheek and onto my muzzle. He didn’t say anything but I could feel the emotions in him building, rising like waves. The strongest was sorrow and regret, mixed in a noxious blend. But below that, I sensed Luke’s happiness, his relief, that small part of him that still wanted his dad’s approval after all this time. 

Hermes wiped the tears from Luke’s cheeks with his thumbs. “You’ve always loved so hard, so fiercely, and it’s caused you so much pain. I caused you and your mother so much pain. I’m sorry for that. I’m so sorry, my son, my heart, my pride.” Hermes pulled Luke into a hug. 

For a few moments, Luke kept his arms at his sides. But slowly, he raised them and hugged Hermes back. A soft, pained noise came from him and he shook as he cried. 

I pressed my body against their legs, sharing their pain and their love. Normally I wouldn’t intrude on a moment like this. It would have made me uncomfortable to even be in the same room as them. But I was a dog at the moment and this was a satisfying, if sad, conclusion to a story I had been swept up in. 

Hermes stepped back from Luke. “Let’s go see your mother. She’ll want to say goodbye to her son.”

“Will she be able to see me?” Luke asked. He wiped his tears away with the fabric of his robe. 

“Yes,” Hermes said. 

As we continued on, Hermes and Luke walked side by side. There was less tension in the air. A couple of minutes later, we were outside of May Castellan’s house. Something seemed different but I couldn’t quite peg what it was. 

Hermes opened the door without knocking. “May!” He called into the house. Despite crying a few minutes earlier, Hermes sounded cheerful. “I brought Luke with me!” 

We heard running footsteps from overhead. All three of us looked up. The footsteps traveled across the ceiling and then pounded down the stairs. 

Luke knelt down and hugged me. I could feel him shaking. 

I licked his cheek and wagged my tail, hoping to comfort him. To be honest, I was hoping for comfort too. The last time I saw May Castellan, she’d scared me more than any monster. 

May came running into sight. Her white hair was brushed smooth. She wore a green house dress dotted with yellow flowers, not a scorch mark or ash smear to be seen. May threw herself into Hermes’ arms. 

Hermes caught her and spun her around. “Hello, my love,” he said. It was blatantly obvious that Hermes truly loved May and she loved him just as much. When he set her down, he pressed his forehead against hers. They stood like that for a few moments.

Then May pulled away. “Where is my boy, Hermes? I haven’t seen him in so long…” she caught sight of Luke, crouched next to me on the floor, and her breath caught. Her hands covered her mouth when she looked at her son. “Luke?”

“Hi mom,” Luke said quietly. He let me go and stood up, head bowed. He was taller than his mother and his strength made her look even more like a fragile scarecrow. 

May reached for Luke, hands hesitant and trembling. Her fingers went through him. She choked out a sob. “Oh, my dear boy.” Tears rolled down May’s cheeks. 

Luke’s fingers went through May, too. They couldn’t touch each other. May had clear sight but that wouldn’t help her to hold her son one last time. Luke looked so frustrated, so sad. He made a noise like a wounded animal. “You were right about my fate.” Tears rolled down his cheeks again. 

May cried. 

Hermes held them both, a bridge between them. He looked to be in more pain than I’d ever seen him. 

I sat quietly, trying not to intrude too much. This felt even more personal than before. And despite May seeming to be a normal person now, she still scared me. Could she see me? Did she even care to look at anyone who wasn’t her son or her lover? 

When the tears had died down a little, May reached for Luke again. She couldn’t touch him, not really, but she hovered her hand over his cheek like she could. “I’m sorry, Luke. I’m so sorry, for everything. I don’t know what went wrong…” she glanced at Hermes. 

Hermes gave a slight shake of his head. He didn’t know either. 

_“Hades placed a curse on the Oracle after Zeus killed Maria Di Angelo,”_ I said. 

Only Hermes heard me and I knew he did because his eyes flared with anger. 

May was still talking to Luke. “If I had known that this would happen, I never would have tried to host the Oracle. Mothers are supposed to look out for their children and I failed you. I’m so sorry, Luke, my beautiful boy.” 

Luke carefully placed his hand over May’s, a delicate balance of pretending to touch but not quite getting there. He took a deep breath. “You did your best, mom,” he said carefully. I don’t think he really forgave her, but Luke was trying. He didn’t want to leave his parents on a sour note. 

“Tell me what happened, my dear. Tell me what I’ve missed.” May looked at Hermes. “Do we have time?” 

Hermes hesitated. Then he nodded. “There’s time.” 

We moved into the living room. Luke sat on the couch between his parents and told them the story of his life. He was descriptive, yet blunt, and he missed no detail as he spoke. Luke was an excellent storyteller. He could have been an author. His books would have sold millions of copies. 

I lay at his feet, curled up and staring into middle space while I listened. My heart broke for Luke, over and over, with every terrible thing that he experienced, with every good thing that was ripped out of his life. I sat up and rested my chin on his knee, watching his face as he spoke. 

Luke didn’t paint himself as a saint. He didn’t shy away from what he’d done. There was more than I’d known. There was so much more to Luke’s story, to everything, than I’d known. When he was done, we lapsed into silence. 

There was only the sound of May’s many wind chimes. 

May broke it first, “I’m proud to call you my son, Luke. I love you so much.” She wiped tears away. “What will you do now?”

“Rebirth,” Luke whispered. His voice was raw with emotion. He ran his hands through my fur again. 

May smiled. “That’s my boy. Never giving up.” She held Hermes’ hand over the back of the couch. “You’ll do great things in your next life, Luke. But I do hope that the next one will be easier on you.” 

Luke smiled down at me. “Me too.” 

I caught May giving Hermes a look that said _‘is there anything you can do?’_

Hermes’ eyes flitted to me. 

May seemed to notice me for the first time. She cocked her head as she studied me. Some of her tension seemed to leave. I wondered what she saw. 

“We should be going,” Hermes said gently. ”Luke’s isn’t the only soul I need to escort tonight and there’s still the matter of...of his body.” 

There were more tears as we left the Castellan household. Hermes promised that he would visit May again soon. We took to the air again, walking across the country through the sky. 

I wasn’t sure about Luke, but I felt at once heavier and lighter after that. _“Aren’t you glad that you made up with Luke?”_

Hermes gave me a look. He didn’t say anything but he didn’t have to. 

It took hours to get to DOA Records but I wasn’t exhausted at all. Luke and Hermes talked a little more but mostly they walked side by side in a comfortable silence. 

“Your dog seems happier,” Luke commented. He leaned down to pet me every time I got close enough. 

Hermes smiled. “Yes, he does. He’s a good one.” 

We stopped outside of DOA Records. Hermes held the door for us. The lobby was as crowded with the dead as ever. 

Chiron looked up from his podium. “Lord Hermes! What a surprise.” Then he looked at Luke. “Ah. I’d recognize those eyes anywhere. This godling is one of yours, isn’t he?” 

“Yes, Charon. Luke is mine,” Hermes said. He ignored the dead and walked Luke directly up to the podium. “I’ll be taking care of his fee.” 

Charon leaned over the podium to look at me. “Oh hey! I was expecting to see you back here a lot earlier.” Obviously Charon knew who I was. 

I huffed at him and rolled my eyes. _"You’ll have to wait to ferry my soul. I’m only here because I’m escorting Luke as a favor to Hermes.”_

Charon laughed. “I’ll be seeing you again one of these days.” 

Hermes and Charon sorted out the details of Luke’s trip to the Underworld, which involved a lot of threats from Hermes about what would happen if Luke wasn’t treated with respect. 

Luke knelt and gave me scritches on either side of my neck. He looked into my eyes. “Thanks for coming with me.” He hesitated, glanced up at his father and Charon. Then he leaned in closer. The look he gave me was intense. “I hope you have a good life, pup.” 

Did he know? Could he tell it was me? I wagged my tail and touched his nose with mine. 

Then it was time for Luke to go. He hugged his dad and patted me on the head one final time. He was escorted into the elevator by Charon. Then the doors slid shut and that was my last view of Luke. 

Going back to Olympus took far less time than it had taken to reach DOA Records and I realized it was because Hermes had wanted to spend as much time with Luke as possible. We were back outside Hermes’ cluttered dwelling in minutes. 

Hermes made a motion and I was human once again. “Percy,” Hermes said softly. “There’s one more favor that I would ask of you.” 

I tilted my head and looked at him but I couldn’t read Hermes’ expression. I also couldn’t smell his emotions like I’d been able to as a dog. “What is it?” 

Hermes slowly twirled his caduceus, in a manor that was surprisingly non threatening. “When you’re reborn into your next life, will you find Luke and guide him to the path that leads to Elysium?” 

I hesitated. “How would I even find him?” Spirits took a bath in the River Lethe before being reborn to wipe their memories.

Hermes didn’t meet my eye for a few long moments. Then he sighed and locked eyes with me. “It’s true that the Lethe will erase your memories, however there are exceptions to every rule. The time you’ve spent as a psychopomp will return to you quickly and with it, you’ll remember Luke’s scent and the feeling of his spirit touching yours. You will always be able to find him, no matter where or when you are.” 

“That’s why you wanted me to go with you,” I accused. “You want me to make sure Luke gets to the Isles of the Blest.”

Hermes put a hand on my shoulder. He didn’t look like a trickster God with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He just looked very tired and very sad. “You helped to guide Luke to Elysium in this lifetime without even trying. I am in your debt and this is my way of repaying you. If you guide Luke again, you’ll both make it to Elysium three times and you will reach the Isles of the Blest. That is what you want, isn’t it?”

I looked down at my hands. I touched the beads around my neck. It was difficult to decide how I felt about that. On one hand, Hermes had tricked me. On the other, he was saying that I was practically guaranteed a spot in paradise, a place to rest eternally. “That wasn’t an ordinary dog you turned me into.”

“I told you that Cretan Hounds don’t normally have black fur,” Hermes said. That glint was back in his blue eyes. 

“I’ll find Luke again. But how do I know we’ll be reborn together?”

“I’ll make sure of that. It’s time I had a talk with my uncle.” Hermes’ smile turned cruel and wicked. I shuddered to think of what he would do to Hades. Then he relaxed once more. “Now, what’s done is done and it’s time you return to the festivities.” He nudged me with his caduceus, urging me to get a move on towards the party. 

It didn’t feel right to leave Hermes alone like this, to burn the shell that had held his son for twenty-three years, but Hermes didn’t seem to want any more company. I walked down the streets of Olympus towards the party, and I didn’t look back even when I heard the crackling of fire.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment. <3


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